MULTIMEDIA-ENGLISH

Before doing this activity you may need to read the text you will find at the end


  MasterBlaster
Question Tags
Focus Grammar
Description An easy activity to practise the form of the basic question tags: present and past tense of normal and special verbs.
Instructions You have a word and 4 options. Choose the right option.

(If the timer is on, you must choose your option before the time finishes.)
 
Item Meaning
She's got two cars,... hasn't she?
He lives next to the station,... doesn't he?
I know you very well,... don't I?
You've got two brothers,... haven't you?
Mike has married your friend Susan,... hasn't he?
I can't stay out here in the rain,... can I?
You don't like pizza,... do you?
You mustn't be late,... must you?
She can speak Spanish,... can't she?
They've got a very nice house,... haven't they?
She hasn't got a sister,... has she?
You like Italian cars,... don't you?
You are French,... aren't you?
He's not Mike,... is he?
We don't like that,... do we?
They didn't say anything about the wedding,... did they?
You couldn't do it yourself,... could you?
You could get to the cinema on time,... couldn't you?
Learning Chinese can be very difficult,... can't it?
The book wasn't too interesting after all,... was it?
You can dance very well,... can't you?
You'd like that,... wouldn't you?
We bought it in this shop,... didn't we?
That day was very cold,... wasn't it?
You haven't got any friends here,... have you?
They haven't got any friends here,... have they?
We won't buy that horrible car,... will we?
She wasn't very nice to your brother,... was she?
They must apologise for what they said,... musn't they?
She wouldn't feel comfortable there,... would she?
She was very polite,... wasn't she?
He doesn't live near you,... does he?
I can help with it,... can't I?
They came here very early,... didn't they?
We will be there on time,... won't we?
She can't sing opera,... can she?
That box can't be so heavy as you say,... can it?
He's your cousin,... isn't he?
The dragon breathes fire through its mouth,... doesn't it?
You aren't tired? are you?
Your dog doesn't understand Russian,... does it?
They don't know her,... do they?
I don't know your parents,... do I?
You went to Toledo last year,... didn't you?
We didn't visit her on her birthday,... did we?
Total number of items: 45
This is an activity from Multimedia-English www.multimedia-english.com
 

USAGE

Question tags are little questions that people often use at the end of a sentence when talking. They can be used to make sure something is true/correct or to ask for agreement.

- You want coffee, don't you?
- You have seen the film, haven´t you?
- She's Irish, isn't she?

They are very common and useful because it is an easy and quick way to keep people's attention and force them to say something, so we can keep the conversation going.

- It's very cold today, isn't it?
- Oh yes, I think so.

FORM

You can only make a question tag using a special verb (modals and auxiliaries), so if the main verb in the sentence is a normal verb, then we use DO to make the question tag. But if the main verb is a special verb, we use that special verb for the question tag. The question tag will be in the same tense as the verb in the main clause.

- You like coffee, don't you?  (like: normal verb)
- You can help me, can't you?  (can: special verb)
- He is Mr Smith, isn't he ?
- They're making tea, aren't they?
- Your father will be there by ten, won't he?
- You've been to London, haven't you?
- Susan bought a new house,  didn't she?

We usually use an affirmative question tag after a negative sentence
- It isn't  very cold, is it?
- Mark can't speak French, can he?
- Your cousins didn´t come to visit us, did they?

And a negative question tag after an affirmative sentence
- It is very cold, isn't it?
- She likes this film, doesn't she?
- Your friend is going to come, isn't he?

And you must always use contractions in your question tags because a question tag without contraction sounds terribly pedantic!
- You are Tim, are you not?  (*#Ⱥʬʘᴟ₩҉ !!)

MEANING

The meaning of a question tag depends on the intonation: A falling intonation is just looking for agreement, a rising intonation is a question, looking for confirmation or correction.

- Kelly will come later, won't she? ↗
- No, I think she won't come because she was feeling ill today.

- Kelly will come later, won’t she? ↘
- Sure, don't worry. She'll be here in a few minutes.

 

THE THREE BASIC RULES TO REMEMBER

❶ Question tags always use a special verb
❷ The subject is always a pronoun, and it is inverted (because it is a question, of course)
❸ Affirmative sentences add a negative question tag and negative sentences add an affirmative question tag

 

Is this too complicated for you when talking? Well, here are the good news: Native speakers often use a different kind of question tag, much more simple. In every case, they can always use RIGHT?, and that's good for every situation, so if you find it complicated, just use RIGHT? all the time and let natives do the other stuff:

- You want coffee, right?
- You have seen the film, right?
- She's Irish, right?